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The bendix / king radio clamshell 12 volt power adapter
The Bendix / King Radio Clamshell
All you need isa King Radio clamshell (Specifically battery pack model LAA0139) & the car adapter for your phone. Simply attach the adapter to the clamshell, it goes on just like a radio- then plug in your phone. Instant talk time limited only by your supply of AA batteries- Something in unlimited supply on a fire.
Now take the "car charger" for your particular device & plug it into the adapter- Just like you would a cigarette lighter.
I've found that clamshells that are too weak to power a radio any longer still contain enough battery power to charge the average phone many times- So don't toss your old batteries just yet.
Now you can get the sports scores. Now you can talk to your girl. Now your supervisor can get off the radio & use his secure land line.
In the year 2000 while spiked out at 8,000 feet on the Montana / Idahoborder the Plumas Hotshots had a problem. We'd been there for 4 days.The football pool was about to end... Girlfriends wanted to hear fromus... We had no football scores...
We had beentrying to get scores from the helitak folks who manned the drop pointduring the day, but for some reason we couldn't.
Baby Brian had his cell phone, but the battery was dead. What to do?
Tony came upwith an idea of charging Brian's battery with a couple of taped upheadlight batteries & some bits of wire, but we were unsure if itwould work & or damage the phone battery. Brian didn't care andspent a while holding a handfull of batteries & wire... "Hey is itbad if this is getting hot?"
Suddenly Irealized what runs on 12 volts? A King Radio. We had 6 radios with usand probably 10 (total) battery clamshells. Every day we recieved food& more AA batteries for the radios. A virtually unlimited supply.
Only one problem. How to get the 12 volts from the clamshell into the phone?
After that rollI spent some time in the garage.. After some engineering with somesheet metal, copper pipe, solder & gel epoxy I built this:
The very first prototype "cell phone adapter".
Many years havepassed. Every year in the spring I go talk to the crews about myinjury- How it happened & how to avoid the same fate. In the speechI tell of the phone adapter and a few other firefighting things I'mworking on... Always saying "When I get these made I will provide themto the crews..."
The time for the phone charger has come.
I've redesigned the adapter & figured out a way to make itstronger. The solder is gone. The epoxy is gone. Now they are braizedtogether- I've had them field tested, and they appear to be fairlybomb-proof. One problem was reported- The copper piece may be too deep for your car adapter to reach the bottom. If this happens, find a file & take about 1/16" off the top.
I bought one of your chargers 1 1/2 seasons ago. I used it for the entire last season, extensively. It has been a life saver. On one incident, I had the only ability to charge cell phones in our coyote camp, needless to say, it was used constantly by those whose phones would fit my charger. I hope many of them came to your website and purchased their own. I also use it camping and hiking with family and friends. They have all been very impressed. Agreat invention at a great price!
This adapter was lightweight, practical, and came in extremely handy atthe end of a long day when I had forgotten to turn my phone off and hadkilled the battery. We all look forward to any downtime at the end ofthe day when we can give friends or family a call, and this adaptermakes that possible.
Boulder Fire Department's Wildfire Team
Not only does it help "after the shift", it works around the house / office as well. My girlfriend likes to talk. Alot. Often my phone dies while I'm talking to her- Before the adapter I'd have to be tied to the wall charger, but now I can plug the phone into a clamshell, drop the whole thing in my pocket, and continue with what I was doing (garage, outside, wherever) while talking to her.
Impatient? Going on a fire in a few days? Want one Now? These adapters are also available in The Supply Cache catalog & at
